Salmon with a Citrus Glaze Tangos with Mango Salsa

Versatile salmon can be grilled, sauteed, baked, and braised. More often than not the preferred approach is to simply grill the fish--whole or filleted--with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, the Italian way. But there are times when a little more seasoning accents salmon's natural flavors.

Spanish style preparations saute the fish with fresh tomatoes, pitted olives, peppers, onions, and parsley. American barbecue relies on sweet-heat. Another approach, one borrowing from South American and Caribbean recipes, marries citrus with honey and garlic in a simple sauce.

Serve the roasted fish with a side of reserved pan drippings and a mango-grilled corn salsa and you'll have the perfect summer meal to be enjoyed with a glass of chardonnay or an ice cold beer.

Mango Salsa

Make the salsa ahead and keep refrigerated in a sealed container

Serves 4

Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 ear corn, husks and silks removed, washed

1 large mango, washed, skin removed, meat cut into small pieces, pit discarded

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, skin on, charred in an open flame

1 tablespoon olive or safflower oil

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Grill or oven roast the corn in a 400 F oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and remove the kernels. Discard the cob. Clean off the charred skin from the garlic, finely chop, add to a bowl with the corn kernels, mango, onion, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss well. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper.

Roast Salmon with a Citrus Glaze

Buy a fillet that has skin but not bones for easy serving.  The fresher, the better.

Serves 4

Time 45-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet with skin on, washed, pat dried

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 garlic clove, skin removed, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes or cayenne

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, washed, leaves only, finely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cutting across the fillet, score deeply into the flesh about half way. Place the salmon on a Silpat or other non-stick material like parchment paper placed on a rimmed baking sheet.

Mix together the juices, honey, garlic, olive oil, cayenne, and parsley until the honey is well dissolved. Pour over the fillet.  Roast in the oven 30 minutes.  Remove and clean away and discard any pink solids.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 500 F. Baste the fillet with the pan drippings. Return the salmon to the oven and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, baste, bake another 5 minutes being careful to brown but not burn the skin.

Transfer the salmon to a serving plate. Use a rubber spatula to collect all the pan drippings and place in a small bowl.

Serve the salmon with the pan drippings, mango salsa, and a green salad or freshly steamed rice.

Amsterdam's Upscale Restaurants

You can tell by the number of articles I've written about Amsterdam, how much I enjoyed my trip. Here is another in a four-part series I wrote for Peter Greenberg. Amsterdam's Upscale Restaurants Last week, globe-trotting investigative gastronome David Latt investigated the local finds in Amsterdam’s surprisingly robust cafe scene. But can serious food-lovers find high-end and innovative restaurants to satisfy their cravings? Read on to find out what he discovered in the Dutch capital. Balthazar's Kitchen, a local favorite, is a small restaurant with a big reputation. On the few nights I was in Amsterdam I could never secure a reservation. The same was true of the French restaurant, Braque, where a friend and I were turned away two nights in a row. I had better luck at the Supperclub. The well-polished brass doorway downstairs hints at the grand setting upstairs. Begun two decades ago, the Supperclub has branches in London, Singapore, San Francisco, and Istanbul, with plans to open in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Art is served along with a prix fix meal as patrons share a comfortable cushion provocatively referred to as a bed. A different performance is offered every night of the week. Themes are varied, but usually touch on issues of personal liberation, emotional and literal enslavement, and sexual expression. On the day I attended, Andre d. Singleton, a New Yorker, presented an evening that consisted of short videos and musical performances, with the aim of "complicating gender." While the creative intentions were to stimulate and provoke, the prix fix menu was designed to put the diner at ease with comfort food: a mozzarella and scallops appetizer, a tenderloin with mushroom sauce, and a dessert of homemade ice creams. For an elegant meal in a quiet setting, try the upscale Bridges Bar in the remodeled Sofitel Amsterdam The Grand where you will rub elbows with Amsterdam's elite. The contemporary French-Asian menu focuses on seafood in an exclusive setting. For our main course during a late afternoon lunch, we had a delicate miso-marinated, grilled cod paired with a very nice Chardonnay from Chile (Veramonte 1997 Reserve, Casablanca Valley). The locavore movement, so widespread in the U.S., has had a slow acceptance in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, the leader in the field of organic, locally sourced ingredients is Restaurant De Kas, where I experienced the best of the best in my food tour of the city. Opened in 2000 in a renovated municipal greenhouse on the southern end of Park Frankendael, south-east from the city center, the restaurant has the homey feel of a neighborhood hangout, albeit one in an all-glass house. Learn more with: Dutch Food & the Amsterdam Restaurant Scene Serving a set menu of three starters, one entree, and a dessert, the only changes a diner can make is to add an aperitif, paired wines, and a cheese course. When seated, the diner is asked one question, "Tell me what you don't like or can't eat." Otherwise, the chef is in charge. Except that he isn't. The produce and herbs served at the restaurant come from the greenhouse next to the restaurant and from their farm in Ilpendam, 10 miles north of Amsterdam. As Xavier Giesen, the assistant maitre d', explains, "We are a restaurant but also growers. The chef tells the gardener what he wants, but the gardener tells the chef what's available." The menu changes weekly and seasonally. When I visited the restaurant, the menu was transitioning from spring to summer. The amuse-bouche that night was a crostini of a lively relish of baby artichoke heart, cauliflower, fennel, onions, carrots, gherkins, flat-cut parley, and an edible Begonia, seasoned with turmeric and mustard seed. Headed to Amsterdam? Don't miss Amsterdam for Americans: An In-Depth Amsterdam Travel Guide The three starters were presented at the same time and were all cleverly served at room temperature so the diner isn't compelled to eat one before the other. White and green asparagus topped with a Beurre noisette (brown butter) foam, lobster claw with leeks and beets served with a grapefruit juice reduction, and a deep-fried zucchini blossom and stem on top of cold potato soup with potato cubes, fried onions, parsley, and scallions. All were perfectly cooked and plated, the ingredients of the highest quality. If I had a favorite it was the potato soup with the zucchini blossom, although I ate every bit of the asparagus dish, even though I am not usually a fan of white asparagus, a Dutch favorite. The main course was a small piece of meltingly tender lamb shoulder topped with pickled onions and a delicious herb butter, accompanied by a scattering of gnocchi, dill, cauliflower, and freshly made pickled cucumbers. A green salad with a mild dressing was added as a palate cleanser. With all these dishes, the chef carefully balances flavors and textures, paying homage to the Dutch preference for pickled vegetables by including either pickling spices and/or lightly pickled vegetables. Panna cotta for dessert didn't sound very exciting, but each spoonful made me pause. The elements—vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb, strawberries, a scoop of lemon sorbet and a sheet of white chocolate—were so exquisite. The flavors of cold, smooth, creamy, sour, and sweet touched all the best dessert flavor notes. A set menu relieves the tension of debating what to order and the kitchen can focus on fewer dishes, thereby allowing for better execution and less waste. Without a question a win-win advantage, at least as practiced at De Kas.

Egg Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Crisp Bacon

I keep connecting with an early childhood memory about summer days at the beach.

To get to the beach we'd drive a long time in our hot car and coming home, I was always sunburned, with gritty sand in my swimsuit.  The travel part wasn't what I liked, but the picnic lunch my mom packed sure was.

Fried chicken, potato salad, biscuits with butter and honey, watermelon slices, and egg salad.

My dad rarely came with us so usually my mom had a friend along for company while my sister and I splashed in the water, determined to annoy one another as much as possible.  After awhile we'd get tired. Then it was time to eat.

We'd load up paper plates and settle down on the sand watching the older kids body surf.  We didn't talk much but we'd share the moment enjoying our mom's food.

I don't know why but it's the egg salad I most remember.  Hers was a pretty straightforward affair.  Hardboiled eggs, some red onion, mayonnaise, a little salt and pepper.  Sometimes she'd add capers if she wanted to get all fancy.

I don't get down to the beach much these days, but when I travel and know I have to endure the long lines at security, a cramped airplane cabin, and no food service, I bring along a couple of egg salad sandwiches. Nothing is more comforting at 30,000 feet.

Egg Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Crisp Bacon

Starting with my mom's basic recipe, I've added grilled vegetables and freshly chopped parsley for color and flavor. Crisp bacon gives a salty crunch.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 farmers' market fresh large or extra large eggs

1 large carrot, washed, ends trimmed, peeled

1 ear of corn, tassels and husk removed, washed

1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves, washed, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, finely chopped

2 strips of bacon, finely chopped, sauteed until crisp, drained

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots or scallion

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

I like to put the eggs into a pot of cold water, turn the flame to medium-high, and cook them for 30 minutes. Many people say that's way too long but it works for me. The yolks come out flaky, the whites dense. Rinse with cold water, take off the shells, and roughly chop.

Slice the carrot into flat slabs about 1/4" thick and 3" long.  Toss in olive oil seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.  Do the same with the ear of corn.  Grill until lightly browned all over or oven roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn frequently to avoid burning. Let cool.  Finely chop the carrots. Remove the kernels from the cobs.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped eggs, carrots, corn kernels, parsley, shallots, and crisp bacon bits. Toss. Season with sea salt and black pepper.  Add the mayonnaise and mix well.

Serve on bread, crackers, or lettuce leaves.

Variations

Add 1/4 cup roasted red pepper, finely chopped

Omit the bacon

Add 1/4 cup finely chopped, pitted olives

Roast 2 garlic cloves, tossed in olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and pepper until lightly browned, peel off the skins, finely chop the soft garlic and add to the egg salad

Add a dash of tabasco or a dusting of cayenne pepper for heat